Realgist

Friday, 31 October 2014

Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore announced his resignation in a statement on Friday and called for a 90-day transition to "free and transparent" elections in the West African country, local radio and television said.

"I declare a vacancy of power with a view to allowing a transition that should finish with free and transparent elections in a maximum period of 90 days," said the statement, read on local radio and television by presenters.

Scores of people have been confirmed dead in a bomb blast at Gombe Line Motor Park in Gombe, Gombe state.

The bomb was said to have been detonated from a parked vehicle around 9:30 a.m. at the Gombe Central Park in an area called Cross.

A senior State Security Service (SSS)official told newsmen: "The blast went off at about 9:30am. Up till now, we don't know the number of dead people. But it is a very busy park, so many people will die in such a bomb blast."

The reality TV show, which ended last night was the 11th edition.
Ubachukwu and 13 others were in the Aguleri jungle in Anambra State for 26 days in contest on who becomes the ultimate winner.
A graduate of Petroleum and Gas Engineering from the University of Port Harcourt, Ubachukwu, who hails from Anambra State, beat co-finalists, Emmanuel Afolabi and Nne Cosy Joe, to discover the mythical General’s Helmet, a symbol of this year’s search, aptly tagged The Mission.

The other two warriors failed in their bids to get to the mysterious destination across the the heavy currents of Aguleri River. With this achievement, the native of Anambra State will exchange the treasure for a whopping N10million and a brand new SUV.
As soon as Chinedu located & retrieved the General’s War Helmet, anchorman Chidi Mokeme inducted him into the exclusive Order of Heroes as the 11th “Ultimate Man”.

The other finalists will get cash prizes for the positions they finished in. On the other hand, Otto Canon has won the Viewers’ Choice award, thus becoming the proud owner of a brand new SUV in addition to the prize money he gets for being the 3rd runner up.
Samantha Appi, the Last Woman Standing also gets a reward of a brand new 2014 Urban Ford Ecosport SUV in addition to the prize money for being a contestant on the show.

Stephen Keshi has been re-appointed as coach of African champions Nigeria after he was sacked earlier this month, in the latest twist in a long-running battle for control of the country’s football federation.

The head of the federation’s technical committee, Felix Anyansi-Agwu, said his body had “decided to accept” a proposal re-instating Keshi as Super Eagles coach for Nigeria’s next Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Congo and South Africa in November.

Friday, 10 October 2014

A number of inmates have been killed after soldiers stationed at the Kirikiri Medium Prison, Lagos were called in to quell a riot which broke among inmates of the prison on Friday, an eyewitness has told Saturday PUNCH.

Saturday PUNCH learnt from a source who pleaded anonymity that a protest against the seizure of a ceiling fan belonging to an inmate degenerated into the riot which might have claimed the lives of a number of the prisoners.

Our source, who witnessed the incident, said the shooting started around 1.30pm.

He said, “Someone brought in a ceiling fan for an inmate referred to as the ‘general-overseer’ of the prison’s Christian denomination. But the fan was seized by the officer in-charge of the prisons, who also allegedly ordered the inmate detained.

“The inmate said he was the owner of the ceiling fan and only sent it out of the prison for repairs.”

According to this source, the inmate was later released after protests by his colleagues who felt he was being unjustly punished. But the situation was said to have degenerated beyond control, necessitating the intervention of soldiers at the prisons.

“By the time the inmate was released, the other prisoners had started throwing stones at windows and getting violent. The soldiers shot sporadically at the inmates as they ran into their cells, but many of them were hit,” our source said.

As of the time of filing this report, there was no confirmation on the actual number of prisoners killed but our source claimed to have seen the dead bodies of a number of inmates and some injured prisoners with bullet wounds being transported to the hospital within the prison.

But the spokesperson for the Nigerian Prisons Service, Mr. Ope Fatinikun, told our correspondent on the phone that there was indeed a riot at the prison, which he claimed was not violent.

He said, “No inmate was shot at, but 12 of them who sustained minor injuries have been given treatment.

“If anybody tells you he saw dead bodies of shot inmates, he should provide pictures. We have passed that stage something like that could not have happened without someone getting a picture.”Punch

The Pakistani teenager who once survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban militant group, Malala Yousafzai, was on Friday awarded the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize.

The award was awarded jointly to her and an Indian advocate of education rights for children, Kailash Satyarthi, “for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education.”

The Pakistani teenager came to Nigeria in July 2014 to meet with President Goodluck Jonathan over the release of the over 200 schoolgirls abducted by terrorists in Chibok, Borno State on April 14, 2014.

In its announcement on the award by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo, Norway, Yousafzai, now 17, became the first teenager to be awarded the prize. Satyarthi is 60 years old.

“The Nobel Committee regards it as an important point for a Hindu and a Muslim – an Indian and a Pakistani – to join in a common struggle for education and against extremism,” a statement by the committee read.

It added that Satyarthi, 60, had maintained the tradition of Mahatma Gandhi and headed various forms of peaceful protests, “focusing on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain.”

Malala was living in Pakistan’s Swat Valley when she was shot in the head by militants in October 2012 as punishment for her high profile campaign to encourage girls to go to school.

The Nigerian entertainment scene is currently mourning the death of Taiwo Oshadipe one half of the singing gospel duo of the Oshadipe Twins.

When the news of her death broke, the cause of her death was not ascertained. Reports revealed that the singer cum actress must have died as a result of complication resulting from chest pains.

She was said to be admitted at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, close to a month and was given some medications. She was reported to have felt better when she started taking the drugs. Amazingly, she suffered a relapse.

According to the reports credited to their manager Olu Akinsanya:” She went to the hospital, where the doctor carried out some medical checks on her and gave her some drugs. He also gave her an appointment for Friday. But unfortunately, in the early hours of the day, she started complaining of pains.

“This time, it was very severe; so, her twin sister, Kehinde, decided to rush her to LASUTH. However, upon reaching the hospital, she was confirmed dead. So, by 8.00a.m., Kehinde called me and I had to rush to LASUTH to see her for myself.

“It is still very shocking to me. I saw her on Wednesday and we talked and joked. We even talked about my forthcoming wedding. She promised to play at my wedding, so she asked me not to invite any other musician.

“The autopsy report will be out soon. But I know she had recovered from the illness. The last thing she complained about was the chest pain and that was what led to her death two days after.”

The Super Eagles of Nigeria are determined to wrestle three points off the Senior National Team of Sudan when both teams clash tonight at the 35,000 –capacity Khartoum Stadium.

With only one point from their previous two games in the campaign, the Africa Champion know only an outright win will keep them firmly in the series and with an opportunity to defend the title they won in South Africa 20 months ago. And Leader of Delegation to the big match, NFF 1st Vice President, Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi has stated categorically that outright victory is non –negotiable.

“We are here for serious business. I am happy at the attitude of the Coaches and the players and the spirit in camp. Victory will be ours on Saturday.”

The spirit is high in camp as the new faces called up by Coach Stephen Keshi for the quick –fire sessions against Sudan have been proving their mettle, making for good competition in the camp.

The Nigeria delegation of 66 persons, including 24 players and officials, 20 members of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club and few NFF Secretariat Staff and couple of journalists, flew out of Abuja aboard a chartered Air Sudan aircraft at midnight on Thursday, and landed in Khartoum four hours later. The contingent was received at the airport by Mr. Habu Gwani Ibrahim, Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Nigeria in Sudan, who stood in for the Ambassador who was outside the country.

There were also Mr. Friday Akpan, Head of Chancery and the Public Relations Manager of the Sudanese Football Association, Issam Gumaa, as well as over 200 Nigerian students in Sudan who chanted names of the players and welcomed them to the country.

About Me

Ijibayiwa Seyi J. is a Nigerian writer, song writer and a poet. Also a lover of the web.
My belief is that the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in the place of comfort but how he is able to manage challenges in the place of discomfort.